Twenty-two students from the El Molino Jazz Ensemble returned from the Santa Cruz Jazz Festival a little more tan and happy last Saturday. They scored a 2, an excellent rating in the March 26 and 27 Cabrillo College competition. The ensembles were judged on 10 different aspects such as tone quality and balance, presentation, and jazz and swing principlas.
The festival has over 63 big bands, 23 jazz combos and 16 jazz vocal groups and brings in over 2,500 participants plus their families, friends and fans for 2 days and 2 nights of jazz on six performance stages. These jazz groups represent the best of middle school, high school, community college and university jazz bands from the western United States.
The Jazz Ensemble students stayed at the Santa Cruz youth hostel which overlooks the Pacific. Along with strolling along the boardwalk and riding the Giant Dipper roller coaster, students watched a special concert featuring a wonderful jazz choral group and trumpeter, Al Vizzutti, who was simply awesome. The students also attended clinics and watched other groups perform. Check out the photos below:
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